Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Houston Rockets are hiring Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas to be the franchise's next head coach.
League sources told ESPN and The Athletic that Silas and the Rockets were finalizing terms of the contract Wednesday afternoon, and a formal announcement from the team is expected soon.
Following the news, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban appeared to confirm the hiring by congratulating Silas on social media.
Silas will replace former head coach Mike D'Antoni, who parted ways with the Rockets after his contract expired at the end of the 2019-20 season. According to ESPN, Silas sold the Rockets on his offensive creativity and his work as an NBA assistant under highly regarded coaches such as Rick Carlisle and Steve Clifford.
Silas is the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, and he worked with his father early in his career with the Charlotte Hornets. They become the fifth father-son combination to be NBA head coaches.
Stephen Silas, 46, will be the first hire of new Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, who replaced Daryl Morey earlier this month.
The Rockets posted a 44-28 record this past season and reached the NBA bubble near Orlando, Fla. Houston beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
